Category Archives: Daily Life

2018… a new year. For me, it is a new beginning as well, with new environments and people to get accustomed to. I cannot say that 2018 is looking all that promising in terms of my personal life, but I will declare here that I will make the most of it however I can. At the very least, the year ahead doesn’t look grim. I am satisfied for it to be average.

Outside of my personal circumstances and looking at my hobbies, 2018 looks to be a grand year for Sword Art Online and video games in general. Soon, the game Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet will be coming out, plus airing later in the year, two anime series, the Alicization Arc and Gun Gale Online. Video games in general, I am interested in Monster Hunter World, New Gundam Breaker, Code Vein, and Anthem. And although nothing specific just yet, gunpla is closing in on its 40th anniversary in 2020 and with 2017 having an incredible set of releases, I look forward to what is planned for 2018.

Following my first time to Comiket, I started this year off by shopping for more doujinshi at Toranoana. Simply put, I wasn’t able to see everything, especially on the last day, and there were also stuff that sold out. And to my surprise, I actually didn’t purchase all that much R18 books, so the trip to Toranoana on the 1st was to recuperate all of that by making sure I was satisfied with my Comiket experience and to start the year off happy.

For my monthly posts regarding my daily life in Japan, I have titled it “Struggles in Japan”. Recently, I thought about whether or not it was time to end it, and start a new daily life in Japan series with a more positive title in its place. But sadly, my struggles won’t cease anytime soon.

My life had never been easy. Seeking somewhere better, a place I could call home and feel like I belonged in, I took my chances and came to Japan. Only a year after graduating from university and with no professional experience nor skills, I now realize that it was a rash and risky decision. However, the only other choice I had was to remain living an uncomfortable life in that country. Out of the frying pan and into the fire. I can’t say that either is better than the other. And now, I have came to the realization that for many years to come, I will continue to face challenges of sustaining my life in Japan.

The last month of 2017, it is a time for celebration and reflection. For me, 2017 has the hardest year of my life so far, and it was also the year in which I was most saved. After hitting rock bottom, the only way things could go was up. And I survived. In the final quarter of the year, I finally made it to square one. So now I celebrate, the joy of being in Japan.

2nd – Having finished reading a number of volumes of the Accel World novels, ending the Chrome Disaster arc, I talked with my little brother online, summarizing the story for him. It ended up taking 5.5 hours and I felt sincerely bad about taking his time (and his time to sleep), but also felt so grateful that I have a brother that was willing to listen to me talk for hours on. We caught up on other things too, such as some drawings and models. //Continue Reading//

November was a long month, by the end of which my new life has more or less settled into a routine. Around the middle of the month, I felt disappointed that I still haven’t been able to finish all of my hobby backlog, to allow myself to move on and commit to practicing new skills. In between work, sleep, cooking and eating, and other life activities, very little time is left for me to actually focus on my hobbies. However, I have already decided a while back to take things at my natural pace. While I still haven’t finished enough to move on, looking back at what I did the past few months, I did finish a considerable amount. Over half of my backlog has been cleared. My own guess is that I am 70% of the way through, with manga mostly done and games being the heaviest obstacle left.

The first thing I did this month was to blow my very first full paycheck. Not all of it, mind you. Just half. In the past year, I had to endure through not buying many things, from hobby to leisure to even living essentials. But now, literally, I can afford them. On the 3rd, I went shopping in Akihabara, buying models, a figure, some cards, and some other stuff. It felt good going on a shopping spree and I felt like myself again, reminded of my first time in Japan. My shopping didn’t end there. Online, I ordered a portable mattress, desk lamp, hugging pillow, among other things I needed.
It took me a while to decide on a dakimakura cover, which later arrived on the 13th. The pillow that I bought for it was an incredibly expensive but high quality one, full size and amazingly fluffy. My past couple hugging pillows were cheap and not designed specifically for dakimakura covers. Now my worry is how to keep them nice and clean. //Continue Reading//

It has been a while since the previous A Snapshot of Thoughts. Not that I haven’t been thinking about anything, but I haven’t had any conclusive thoughts about my new situation. I have been busy enjoying myself, spending my free time to finish up my backlog of things to do that I have built up over the years. However, I do have one complex topic that I have been thinking to myself about for the last couple months and now I think I know what I want to say.

That topic is friendship.
In more detail, it is about myself and my social interactions with other people. //Continue Reading//

Starting in October, the weather is finally cooling. Before long, it felt cold as if winter. Relatively speaking that is. The actual winter here in Japan is simply colder than what I am used to. Anyways, the current weather makes for great nice days sleeping in and staying in the futon while reading manga.

6th~10th – My first goal of this month was to start and finish the Maiden of the Abyss DLC expansion for SAO:HR. And so, I stayed over at my friend Lettuce’s apartment for a few days. Even so, on the last day, I had to stay up all night playing the game, just to barely finish by early morning. I know my friend didn’t sleep well with the TV flashing all night long, so sorry about that, and thank you letting me play.
To me, it was a very good story DLC that was worth the money. I still have a bit more content left to do actually, such as character events to unlock some last cutscenes. I read some Accel World during breaks from the game, and also bought Lettuce a birthday gift, a HG Gundam Local Type [NAF] model, then treated him to dinner at Johnathan’s. //Continue Reading//

On the 1st weekend, I went over to my friend Lettuce’s apartment. Originally, I planned to start on SAO:HR’s サクラメンツ・インベーション 3 and 蒼空の闘士 update content. However, despite the free level boost of all characters to lv.80, the difficulty of the サクラメンツ・インベーション 3 dungeons were still near impossible. So instead, I watched Lettuce play Bloodborne. //Continue Reading//

This month was a transition period. And thus, I have the entire month off as free time. For me, it was a much needed break. I spent most of it staying over at my friend Lettuce’s apartment. As such, being out of the house for most of the time combined with my neglect of the camera and blog, I only have a couple terrible photos of my desk. //Continue Reading//

Let’s talk about this blog. To be honest, I have lost in interest in blogging. More accurately, I have I lost interest in photography, as I have always disliked writing. To me right now, time is scarce and valuable, which doesn’t go well with my inability to write within any reasonable amount of time. I want to quit blogging and already have for the most part. The monthly life and loot posts are all that is left, and still, that is too much for me to handle. My degree of neglect is to the point of never wanting to pick up my camera ever again. I have more important things to do.

However, as much reasons and excuses I give myself, stopping this blog entirely means giving up my memories during this period. That is something I cannot do. And so, everything is delayed and on hiatus while I work out a new way of approaching things.

I have started to take life easy and slow, no longer forcing myself. I have a clearer idea of what I want to do, how to accomplish them, and what I must do right now. At the same time, I realize and accept my incompetence, as well as recalling upon my life philosophies. Before anything else, I must regain myself, the person I truly am, before I can be who I want to be. It is a great feeling to immerse in my hobbies without constraints, for my true path lies within there. //Continue Reading//

June, half way into 2017. In this year, I have been through tough times and even despaired, but since April, various aspects of my life here started to improve. This month, I have been offered a chance overturn my current stalemate of a situation. Finally within reach is the position of remaining in Japan under a stable and enjoyable environment while building up resources for the future. A favorable living environment, a stable balance of time and money, a promising path to the future, the results of which was an especially busy month. During my free time, I enjoyed whatever I can, an attempt to reduce my stuffed backlog of things to do. On days off, I visited explored potential paths for the distant future. Things are getting better, and I must make full use of the time I can now afford.

On the 2nd – finished the second volume of Bakemonogatari. I have been reading the novels of Bakemonogatari since January and I wanted to finish the second book by the end of May. I had about a hundred pages left and sadly fell short of my goal by a couple days. //Continue Reading//